The new year is here! I don't know about the rest of you, but I love the giddiness I feel, and the chance for a "do over" of sorts in the new year . It is a chance for new dreams, new mistakes and new goals. There has been a lot of buzz about how we quickly we abandon our new years resolutions. Poor sad abandoned hopes and goals on the highway of so many possibilities.
We get on that highway excited to make our destination and after and day or two we forget. Maybe the road is too familiar and so we stop looking out our window at all the possibilities. We see the same sign that says things like, loose weight or organize my house. What about the milestones. Any time I go on a trip I always pay attention to how much further a place is. Three hundred miles seems so far. Then one hundred and finally sixty and thirty miles. It really hits home that I almost there when I see five miles, one mile and then 1/2 mile. Those milestones are what's keeps us going until we reach loose weight town or organized houseville. Goals broken down into measurable manageable steps is like saying you have so many miles to get there , but you will get there! We are not going to get there if we don't travel the road and look for those markers along the way that let us know we are getting closer. Only so many more miles! Pick up those goals, resolutions or whatever you call them, dust them off and let them stand as a reminder of where you are going.
"Having a sense of purpose is having a sense of self. A course to plot is a destination to hope for." Bryant McGill
Living day to day with no plan or goals is like having no road signs or any kind of map to guide your way. Goals are the map we need. They are written down to tell you how to get from point A to point B. If we do not write our goals down then they stay wishes or objectives. Turning the key gives us the energy to drive towards our goals. When our new years resolutions fail it is because we really haven't turned the key yet. That is to say we have not put any energy into them. We may be missing some steps or not sure how to set goals. Remember those sad goals with big eyes and pouty lips? Don't abandon them! Clean them up and make them simpler. You do not want to overwhelm yourself with goals that are too far out of your reach. Make them small and measurable. Take a thought in your mind and make it real. You have to write it down though. That is the only way that our minds make a connection. Vroom! We are already on our way! The word goals start with G and O. Go! Start today and turn the key and push the gas pedal. It takes practice and perseverance but along the way you become part of the process and your grow and change. The only thing you want to kick to the curb are those bad habits.
Finally after you have plotted your course and started your journey with a timeline and a map don't forget to stop at rest stops. Check in with yourself and see how you are doing. Is there any course correcting that needs to happen. I recommend you do this before you burn out. It is a lot harder to re-aces anything if you are frustrated or ready to give up.
So here are my check points. Some of them I need to break down into smaller tasks still.
1 year plan
Improve relationships
Instill a love of the scriptures
Organize my house-1 room at a time, area at a time. Also only 15 minutes a day
Come up with a system of upkeep for my house
Dates with husband and kids
Get out of debt. We already did our budget so a plan is in motion there.
Happy planning and navigating!
